There’s no denying it, arriving in a new city in a foreign country is a daunting experience. There’s getting to grips with a new city, a new culture, a new language, filling in a million forms, finding somewhere to live and perhaps most importantly- FRIENDS! In this blog post I’ll hopefully give you some good ideas as to how to get out there, meet new people in a similar position and make the most of your time in Madrid!
Inhispania: the answer to so many of your needs, friends being one of them! Regardless of which course you’re taking here at the school you’ll be in a class of other friendly, like-minded people. Yes we’re all here to learn Spanish but picking up some friends along the way is never a bad thing. The after-class activities are a great way to get to know more people and break the ice, so go and sign up, now!
First of all, decide what is most important to you when choosing a flat. I chose to live with two Spanish boys so that I could really work on my Spanish and I’ve really enjoyed living with them and wouldn’t do anything differently if I did it all again. However, I have some friends living in big flatshares with lots of international students, who admittedly might not get to speak a lot of Spanish at home, but have an immediate group of 6 or 7 Erasmus friends. Who have friends. Who have friends. You get the picture. So consider that when looking around for somewhere to live!
I would also strongly recommend finding an intercambio partner. Look for someone around your age (which will be easy to do if you’re Erasmus) so that there’s also the possibility they’ll introduce you to their friends and you’ll have a whole new group of Spanish people to socialise with! And even if that doesn’t happen to be the case, it’s good to have a regular Spanish practise session with someone you have things in common with.
The Madridbabel events are also a great way to meet new people in a friendly, welcoming environment. Whether you turn up with a friend or on your own, there’s someone at the door ready to introduce you to people looking to practice your language. It’s a great place to chat away to Spanish people but also to find other students who might also have just arrived.
Find a hobby! Or continue with an existing one while you’re here. There are loads of running groups, Zumba groups, football sessions, book clubs- you name it, you’ll find it. It’s always easiest to make friends with those who you have the most in common with so finding a group of people who enjoy doing the same things as you can’t be a bad place to start!
Finally, this is probably more for when you’ve done all of the above and have some friends (and hey, if not, I don’t see anything wrong with a bit of solo clubbing...), but Madrid has loads to offer in terms of Erasmus nightlife. The main Erasmus clubs- Kaptial, Joy, Star Studios- and the many, many Irish bars are always full of international students (in fact it’s probably hard to find a Spanish person inside, even the bouncers seem to be from far and wide!) Watch out for entry times and prices though because Kapital and Joy can get very pricey if you go too late. But equally be aware that getting there for free entry/free drinks will probable mean an empty dancefloor!
So there you go, I hope you find some of this helpful. I must admit I didn’t do half these things myself, but I’ve learnt from my experiences and those of others and definitely think this advice is worth heeding. Now stop reading this and enjoy Madrid!
Whay don´t you chose Madrid for Erasmus? Madrid it´s the best place you ever been there
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